Challenging the ‘Single Story’ of the Outdoors, Conservation, and Recreation - El Centro de la Raza

9am-1pm in Room 310 at El Centro de la Raza's Historic Building (2524 16^th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144)
Light refreshments will be provided.

There is a ‘single story’ at the root of the meaning we’ve made of the outdoors, conservation, and our recreation in those environments. That single story, we’re coming to understand, has limited our ability to relate to those defined out of the story. This half-day interactive workshop will explore the ‘single story’ that defines our work, our play, and the disrupting narratives of diversity, equity, and inclusion that are shifting the boundaries, power, margin, and center. Using a “cultural watershed” model and appreciative inquiry approaches, attendees will extend their ability for personal reflection, practice strategies for facilitating DEI conversations, explore DEI applications to The Mountaineers, and share resources for continue learning. Several short readings and a film clip will be assigned in advance. Facilitated by Running Grass of Three Circles.

Intended Audience: Mountaineers leaders, volunteers, and members. This 201-style workshop is designed as a deeper dive for folks who already have some experience with DEI work. Attendees should have attended the introductory workshop (Building Our Understanding and Application of DEI) offered in March, one of Running Grass’ seminars with The Mountaineers in Spring 2019, or have equivalent knowledge and experience. You may choose to attend the March and April sessions separately (depending on your experience) or together as a short series. Please contact Sara Ramsay with any questions.

Running Grass is director of Three Circles Center which, since 1989, works on bringing multicultural perspectives and practices to environmental and outdoor education. He is also a senior lecturer in the Urban Environmental Education Program at Antioch University, Seattle, where his focus is on multicultural education, critical pedagogy, and multicultural environmental leadership. His interest in the  outdoors took shape during an Outward Bound course in 1969 and was deepened at Dartmouth Outward Bound in 1974. Please see the Three Circles website for more information:  www.threecircles.org